JPH03137579A - Ic handler - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To prevent a drop in temperature of an IC by providing an IC suction chuck used for carrying an IC to be measured with a heat transferring means which applies a high temperature to the IC in transit being attracted with a vacuum pad. CONSTITUTION:An IC suction chuck used for carrying an IC to be measured is provided with a heat transferring means to applying a high temperature to an IC in transit being attracted with a vacuum pad selectively so that a drop in temperature of the IC in the course of transportation can be prevented. Hence, a high reliability can be obtained in a high temperature test of the IC. In addition, a high-temperature air as heating means to be provided for the suction chuck is supplied to a chamber and a heat transferring plate is provided at a part corresponding to an IC package in the chamber while the high-temperature air is exhausted through a clearance between the surface of the IC and the chamber thereby enabling heating of the IC at a high efficiency.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Industrial Application Field] The present invention relates to an IC (semiconductor integrated circuit device) handler, and can be effectively applied to, for example, an IC handler that has a function of heating an IC to perform measurements. It is related to technology.

[Conventional technology]

The IC handler (II ANDLER) is used for the measurement test of the completed IC. The IC handler is an IC that is organized and stored in a plastic tray.
It has the function of supplying ICs to the IC socket connected to the test head, performing room temperature or high temperature tests, and automatically sorting, arranging, and storing them according to the test results of the tester. Regarding such IC handlers, for example, Buyer's Guide published by Arcom International, Inc. in 1986.
86 SEMICON NWES
) Separate volume RLC/LSI tasting device” page 368~
There are page 381.

[Problem to be solved by the invention]

In conventional IC handlers, ICs heated to high temperatures
is transported to the test head using a suction chuck. In the suction chuck described above, a vacuum head directly contacts the surface of an IC to perform vacuum suction. As a result, the inventor's research has revealed that the temperature of the high-temperature IC suddenly drops. In this way, the IC
If the set temperature of the IC decreases, problems arise in that IC temperature compensation cannot be performed or acceleration tests such as aging desired by the user cannot be performed satisfactorily.

An object of the present invention is to provide an IC handler that achieves high reliability in high temperature tests with a simple configuration.

The above and other objects and novel features of the present invention will become apparent from the description of this specification and the accompanying drawings.

[Means to solve the problem]

A brief overview of typical inventions disclosed in this application is as follows.

That is, an IC suction chuck used for transporting an IC to be measured is provided with a heat conduction means for selectively applying a high temperature to the IC being transported that has been suctioned by a vacuum pad.

[For production]

According to the above-mentioned means, when an IC is adsorbed for transportation, a high temperature is applied to the rc by the heat conduction means, so that it is possible to prevent the temperature of the IC from decreasing during transportation.

〔Example〕

FIG. 1 shows a sectional view of an embodiment of the main part of an IC suction chuck according to the present invention. In the figure, an IC in a suction state is also shown in order to explain the functions of the IC suction chuck according to the present invention.

A vacuum pad is provided for suctioning the IC to be transported against the surface of the package.

This vacuum pad has a suction hole in its lower surface that contacts the surface of the puff cage of the IC, and has a cylindrical shape that vacuum suctions the IC by suction from a vacuum pump.

A chamber to which high temperature air is supplied is provided around the vacuum pad. Of this chamber,
A heat conductive plate made of metal or the like is provided in a portion corresponding to the surface of the IC package.

Radiant heat is applied to the IC via a heat conduction plate heated by high-temperature air. In addition, a step is provided between the lower side of the heat conductive plate and the IC package surface to ensure that the vacuum pad comes into contact with the IC package surface, and when the IC is adsorbed, there is a step between the tC surface and the IC package surface. A gap corresponding to the above-mentioned step is provided between them. Therefore, the supplied hot air is discharged through the gap via the hot air chamber. When this high-temperature air is discharged, the heat of the high-temperature air is directly applied to the IC package. As a result, heat from the high-temperature air is efficiently transferred to the IC. In this embodiment, the high-temperature air inside the chamber is discharged, so in addition to directly heating the IC as described above, the pressure inside the chamber can be made equal to that of the atmosphere, and the vacuum pad Therefore, the vacuum suction power of the IC will not be reduced.

Furthermore, the contacting portions corresponding to the leads of the IC are not particularly limited, but may be made of an insulating material.

The suction chuck is equipped with a stroke mechanism that moves it vertically in FIG. 1, and a mechanism that reverses (rotates) it by 90 inches, but these are omitted in FIG. 1 because they are not directly related to this invention. In addition, the vacuum pad and high-temperature air are connected to a vacuum pump and a high-temperature air supply source through flexible tubes, although not particularly limited, so as not to interfere with the movement of the suction chuck as described above. Ru.

FIG. 2 shows a schematic plan view showing an embodiment of the IC handler according to the present invention, and FIG. 3 shows a functional block diagram for clarifying parts that cannot be expressed in FIG. 2. There is.

In FIG. 2, the IC handler is generally divided into two parts, left and right, based on their functions. On the left side, there are provided a storage section for unmeasured ICs and various functional blocks for transporting ICs to be measured from there to the measurement head.

The loader section is provided with a tray containing unmeasured ICs. Although not particularly limited, a plurality of trays can be stacked. When multiple trays are stacked and set in this way and the autoload mode is set using the operation unit, when there are no unmeasured ICs in the topmost tray, that tray is automatically loaded by the empty tray conveyor shown in Figure 3. The tray is removed and stored in the empty tray storage section, and the tray below it is pushed up by the pinch of one tray by the elevator mechanism. In this way, unmeasured ICs housed in a plurality of trays can be sequentially and continuously measured.

The heating section consists of a heat plate, and a heater inside the plate heats the bottom surface of the IC placed there. The heating range is not particularly limited, but from room temperature to +12
It is said that settings can be made up to 5°C. The heat plate can set the temperature of the IC with high precision using a temperature sensor.

The load alignment plate is used to achieve IC read position accuracy.The IC vacuum-suctioned from the IC package surface by the suction chuck attached to the ICII feed arm A is dropped onto this load alignment plate, and the measurement head is placed on the load alignment plate. I that corresponds to sockets etc.
Perform C lead alignment. Note that this alignment plate is also provided with heating means because the IC is measured at high temperatures.

The IC transport arm A vacuum-chucks unmeasured ICs in the loader section, and transports them to the heat section during high-temperature testing. In FIG. 2, the rc@transfer arm A includes a Y drive section that runs up and down, and an X drive section that runs left and right above the Y drive section, and is equipped with a suction head. The above Y and X drive parts are
Although not particularly limited, the stepping motor and belt drive enable highly precisely controlled movement of the suction chuck in the Y and X directions. IC heated to high temperature in the heat section
is transported onto the load alignment plate, where the vacuum suction is released and positioning is performed by a positioning jig using leads.

At this time, the heating means is always operated to prevent the temperature of the IC from decreasing. Then, positioning is performed and the IC is
It is transported to the suction chuck by the movement of the load alignment plate. After this, the suction chuck is turned over 90″ (
(rotate) and load the IC into the IC socket etc. of the measurement head.

In this embodiment, although not particularly limited, the suction chuck uses a stepping (pulse) motor as its driving source.

In other words, the stroke of the IC when picking up the IC or loading the picked up tC into the measurement head moves with high precision according to the rotation speed and rotation angle of the stepping motor and the twist pitch of the shaft consisting of the lead screw. be made to do. Thereby, the stroke for picking up the IC from its surface and the stroke for loading the picked up IC into the measurement head can be set with high precision, and the above-described transport of the IC can be carried out reliably.

On the right side of the IC handler, a storage section for ICs that have been measured and an IC transport arm B for transporting the ICs are provided.

The NG/RT storage section is not particularly limited, but it is a two-tiered storage section, upper and lower.
The IC is stored by l1 sending arm B. Prior to this, the tcB sending arm B attracts the rc from the unload alignment plate using a vacuum pad.

Defective ICs are stored in a tray in the NG (defective) section, and ICs that require retesting are stored in the RT section. ICl
The movement of the l1l transport arm B is also controlled with high precision by the Y drive section and the X drive section similar to those described above.

The unloader section stores non-defective ICs. Although not particularly limited, this unloader section is also capable of stacking trays in the same way as the loading section, and when set to auto unload mode, when the tray is full of ICs, the elevator mechanism of the unloading section will move one pitch of the tray. 3, and an empty tray is placed thereon from the empty tray conveying means shown in FIG. The empty trays that have become empty in the loading section are pooled in the empty tray storage section, and are used again in the unloading section.

The device control section, shown in FIG. 3, controls the operations of various functional blocks of the handler, receives measurement results from the IC tester, and classifies the ICs for which the measurement has been completed. That is, the elevator mechanism is controlled for the loader section and the unloader section, and the IC transport arm A
and B, the X, Y, and Z drives of the suction chucks are controlled. Temperature control is performed for the heat section, and temperature control is performed for the measurement section.
° Controls reversal operation, stroke operation, etc.

The operation section and maintenance panel are shown in FIG. 3, and the operation section consists of control switches required by the user and a status display, and is provided on the main body panel. , maintenance panel, each part, motor,
The operation of the actuator can be checked by key operation.

Note that if it is not necessary to set the IC to be measured at a high temperature, the IC in the loader section is directly transported to the load alignment plate. In such a test mode, it goes without saying that the operation of the heating section and the supply of high-temperature air to the suction chuck are stopped.

The effects obtained from the above examples are as follows. That is, (1) rc-@I used for transporting to be measured
By providing the C suction chuck with a heat conduction means that selectively applies a high temperature to the IC being transported while being attracted by the vacuum pad, it is possible to prevent the temperature of the IC from decreasing during transport. This provides the effect of achieving high reliability in high-temperature testing of ICs.

(2) By using a high-temperature air heater as the heating means provided in the suction chunk, it is possible to achieve the effect that the suction chuck can be made smaller and lighter, and the structure can be simplified.

(3) As a heating means installed in the suction chuck, high-temperature air is supplied to the chamber, a heat conduction plate is provided in the part of the chamber corresponding to the IC package, and high-temperature air is supplied through the gap between the IC surface and the chamber. By evacuating the air, it is possible to heat the IC with high efficiency.

Although the invention made by the present inventor has been specifically explained above based on Examples, it goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to the Examples and can be modified in various ways without departing from the gist thereof. For example, the structure of the heat conduction means provided on the suction chuck may be such that the IC is heated by simply blowing high temperature air. In this case, although the heating efficiency of the IC decreases, it is possible to reduce the size, weight, and cost of the suction chuck accordingly. Furthermore, instead of using gas such as high-temperature air as the heating means, various embodiments may be adopted, such as one in which a heater is incorporated around the vacuum head.

The other configuration of the IC handler may be of any specific configuration as long as it has the same functions as those of the above embodiment. Further, as for the functions provided in the IC handler, some of the functions shown in the above embodiments may be omitted or other functions may be added as necessary. For example, the measurement head may be configured on the same surface as the tray or alignment plate. At this time, hold the suction chuck at 90
The function of 0 inversion (rotation) can be omitted. In addition, in the measurement head, the electrical contact to the IC lead is
In addition to using a C socket, there are other ways to obtain electrical connection with the IC, such as fixing the IC on a measurement table and touching the probe needle to the lead, or using an electrode such as a pogo pin. Various embodiments are possible.

This invention can be widely used as an IC handler.

[Effects of the Invention] The effects of the invention disclosed in this application are briefly explained as follows. That is, by providing the IC suction chuck used to transport the IC to be measured with a heat conduction means that selectively applies a high temperature to the IC being transported that has been adsorbed by a vacuum pad, the IC can be removed during transport.
Since the temperature of the IC can be prevented from decreasing, high temperature tests on the IC can be performed with high reliability.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of essential parts showing an embodiment of a tC suction chuck according to the present invention; FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view showing an embodiment of an IC handler to which the present invention is applied; The figure below shows the corresponding functional block diagram.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. An IC suction chuck equipped with a vacuum pad for vacuum suctioning the surface of the package of an IC to be transported, and a heat conduction means for selectively applying high-temperature heat to the IC to be transported. An IC transport device characterized by: 2. The heat conduction means for applying high-temperature heat consists of a chamber that is selectively supplied with high-temperature gas, surrounds the vacuum pad, and is provided with a heat conduction plate in a portion corresponding to the surface of the IC package. An IC handler characterized by: 3. The IC handler aligns the IC tray containing the IC to be measured, the preheating plate that sets the IC to be measured at a predetermined high temperature, and the IC to be measured, and as necessary. and an alignment plate that performs heating, and the IC suction chuck is used for transporting ICs from the IC tray to the preheating plate, from the preheating plate to the alignment plate, and from the alignment plate to the measurement head. The IC according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that
handler.